Kind of early for this, but they have already put this out and I thought we could take a look at the odds to win the World Series. Definitely not a good time to put $$$ on the Sox at 3-1. Of course these should change as free agents are signed and players are traded.
it's never too early to wager on next year's champion. Free agency starts in 15 days? Winter meetings still more than a month away? No matter. The Red Sox, at 3 to 1, are your early favorites to win the World Series. Here is the full list, courtesy of BetOnline.com:
Boston Red Sox 3/1
Chicago Cubs 5/1
LA Angels 5/1
Philadelphia Phillies 6/1
New York Yankees 6/1
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10/1
Chicago White Sox 10/1
New York Mets 12/1
Milwaukee Brewers 15/1
Minnesota Twins 15/1
LA Dodgers 15/1
Toronto Blue Jays 20/1
Detroit Tigers 25/1
Florida Marlins 30/1
Houston Astros 30/1
St. Louis Cardinals 30/1
Cleveland Indians 30/1
Atlanta Braves 30/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 40/1
Colorado Rockies 40/1
Texas Rangers 50/1
Cincinnati Reds 50/1
Oakland Athletics 50/1
San Francisco Giants 80/1
KC Royals 100/1
Baltimore Orioles 100/1
Seattle Mariners 100/1
San Diego Padres 100/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 200/1
Washington Nationals 300/1
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Impossible Dream Revisited
Here is a link to the Baseball Library's summary of that 1967. Provides day-to-day scores, winning & losing pitchers. That 'magical season' actually began for the Sox on July 14 when Jim Longborg (12-3) beat the Baltimore Orioles. This was the beginning of their fabulous 10-game winning street. They were hovering around .500 with a record of 42-40 and this was just after the All Star Game.
I had lived in MA until 1962 and moved to New Jersey, but I returned each summer until 1968. New England was electric!!! Everywhere you went people were talking about the Red Sox as they continued to win and suddenly were in a position to make a run at the pennant.
The page lists the players and their season averages. Really brings back memories. The Red Sox were born again!!!! Check out that link...there's a lot of good stuff there to read. You'll enjoy it. However, the season 'summaries' only go up to 2003, but WE ALL CAN REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE NEXT 4 SEASONS.
Gotta start winning!!!
Oh gosh..... I woke up this morning and the Red Sox are really 1 1/2 games in back of the Rays. Thought it might be a nightmare but in all actuality, IT IS. I thought Tampa Bay would fall weeks ago, but they are at the point now where they are gaining confidence with every win and their hard-fought losses. This team is rolling. And the fact that Sox players made comments against them, really fires them up. I can see them making the playoffs, (hopefully) beating out the Spankees for that wildcard spot. The division? It took so many years for us to take that away from New York, I'd hate to give it up so quickly. Have to rest in our laurels for a few years.
However, Manny is Manny and the Yankees are The Yankees and they will go out and spend money on another starting pitcher or mid-relief in July if they begin to falter again. Too bad Joba (the hud) is doing so good. Wasn't anticipating that. Hopefully it would have thrown things into disarray, but he is a major element in 'stabilizing' their rotation. When and if Senior Citizen Rivera retires, he could move over to that role. Unfortunately and I'd hate to admit it, but he'd be damm good.
However, Manny is Manny and the Yankees are The Yankees and they will go out and spend money on another starting pitcher or mid-relief in July if they begin to falter again. Too bad Joba (the hud) is doing so good. Wasn't anticipating that. Hopefully it would have thrown things into disarray, but he is a major element in 'stabilizing' their rotation. When and if Senior Citizen Rivera retires, he could move over to that role. Unfortunately and I'd hate to admit it, but he'd be damm good.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tim Wakefield outduels Randy Johnson 5-0
In a matchup featuring two of the oldest current players in the Majors, Tim Wakefield shut down the Arizona DBacks completely. "I'm not facing him as a hitter, so it's kind of cool," the 41-year-old Wakefield said. "I'm actually facing their hitters and they have a pretty good lineup over there." So do the Red Sox, who got three doubles from Coco Crisp. The youngest player in their lineup, 24-year-old Brandon Moss, drove in both runs the 44-year-old Johnson allowed.
Wakefield relied on his knuckler, which travels about 65-70 mph. He mixed in some curveballs, one as slow as 55 mph -- Johnson throws some pitches almost 40 mph faster than that.
"Two guys with some great statistics going at it, totally different game, with good numbers," Crisp said. "It's a classic."
Wakefield (5-5) was 1-4 in his previous eight starts. Johnson (4-6) had his best outing in five starts, but has lost all of them.
Wakefield baffled the Diamondbacks with his knuckleball and allowed two of Arizona's three hits in seven innings.
"It was tough," Chris Young said. "It's a tough pitch to hit. Guys struggle with it because you don't really know how to approach it." Wakefield struck out six, walked one and has allowed three runs or fewer in at least seven innings in six straight starts. Manny Delcarmen struck out two in a perfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon struck out Chad Tracy for his 23rd save in 27 chances after Craig Hansen loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. Johnson went six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Wakefield relied on his knuckler, which travels about 65-70 mph. He mixed in some curveballs, one as slow as 55 mph -- Johnson throws some pitches almost 40 mph faster than that.
"Two guys with some great statistics going at it, totally different game, with good numbers," Crisp said. "It's a classic."
Wakefield (5-5) was 1-4 in his previous eight starts. Johnson (4-6) had his best outing in five starts, but has lost all of them.
Wakefield baffled the Diamondbacks with his knuckleball and allowed two of Arizona's three hits in seven innings.
"It was tough," Chris Young said. "It's a tough pitch to hit. Guys struggle with it because you don't really know how to approach it." Wakefield struck out six, walked one and has allowed three runs or fewer in at least seven innings in six straight starts. Manny Delcarmen struck out two in a perfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon struck out Chad Tracy for his 23rd save in 27 chances after Craig Hansen loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. Johnson went six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Red Sox rally to beat DBacks 5-4
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 BOSTON Behind 4-1 in the eighth inning, the Red Sox pushed across 4 runs to take a 5-4 lead. Varitek began working his way out of a long slump and the Boston Red Sox emerged from a short one, beating the Dbacks 5-4 Tuesday night with a four-run eighth inning capped by the captain's go-ahead single. Varitek was mired in a 1-for-30 slump before driving in the go-ahead run for the Red Sox.
"Tek's been a little bit unlucky," said Mike Lowell, whose two-run double tied the game at 4. "He's hit better than just those numbers, but it always feels good for a ball to drop, especially in a big situation." They were dropping all over the place in the eighth. Boston had six hits in the inning, one more than it totaled in the first seven and two more than the Red Sox managed in Monday night's 2-1 loss in the series opener. The win maintained their one-game lead in the AL East over Tampa Bay, which beat Florida 6-4.
"Any comeback win is big," Lowell said, "especially when I saw Tampa Bay won and we can stay atop our division." Chris Smith (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of another rookie, Justin Masterson, for his first major league win. Arizona led 4-1 going into the bottom of the eighth behind the pitching of Davis and the hitting of Chad Tracy, who singled home a run in the second and hit a three-run homer, his third of the season, in the third.
"We had a good feeling going into that inning," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "A couple of guys get on and it unraveled on us." Dustin Pedroia's seventh homer in the first was the only run off Davis through seven innings. But the left-hander allowed singles to the first two batters in the eighth, Julio Lugo and Jacoby Ellsbury, and was replaced by Chad Qualls (1-6). Pedroia singled in Lugo, but Qualls nearly got out of the jam by striking out Drew and retiring Manny Ramirez, who has one RBI in 11 games, on a grounder to third.
"Tek's been a little bit unlucky," said Mike Lowell, whose two-run double tied the game at 4. "He's hit better than just those numbers, but it always feels good for a ball to drop, especially in a big situation." They were dropping all over the place in the eighth. Boston had six hits in the inning, one more than it totaled in the first seven and two more than the Red Sox managed in Monday night's 2-1 loss in the series opener. The win maintained their one-game lead in the AL East over Tampa Bay, which beat Florida 6-4.
"Any comeback win is big," Lowell said, "especially when I saw Tampa Bay won and we can stay atop our division." Chris Smith (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of another rookie, Justin Masterson, for his first major league win. Arizona led 4-1 going into the bottom of the eighth behind the pitching of Davis and the hitting of Chad Tracy, who singled home a run in the second and hit a three-run homer, his third of the season, in the third.
"We had a good feeling going into that inning," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "A couple of guys get on and it unraveled on us." Dustin Pedroia's seventh homer in the first was the only run off Davis through seven innings. But the left-hander allowed singles to the first two batters in the eighth, Julio Lugo and Jacoby Ellsbury, and was replaced by Chad Qualls (1-6). Pedroia singled in Lugo, but Qualls nearly got out of the jam by striking out Drew and retiring Manny Ramirez, who has one RBI in 11 games, on a grounder to third.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Red Sox Players losing ground in All-Star Voting
Get your Ya-Ya's out, people!!
The Red Sox haven't exactly lost their grip. But as indicated by the latest weekly voting update, announced Monday afternoon, they have lost two significant edges, and their hold on a couple of other positions is looser. At catcher, Minnesota's Joe Mauer culminated a furious charge of several weeks by finally overtaking Boston's Jason Varitek. A 323,000-vote week catapulted Mauer into a 44,775 lead over the Red Sox veteran.
Meanwhile, Derek Jeter zipped past David Ortiz to grab the lead in overall votes. The Yankees captain attracted more than 424,000 votes last week to jump his total to 1,988,251, giving him a slim lead of fewer than 6,000 over the Boston designated hitter. Ortiz extended his lead at DH to more than 750,000 votes over the Yankees' Hideki Matsui, and while three of Big Papi's teammates also maintained their position leads, they are shrinking.
At first base, Kevin Youkilis' edge over Mauer's teammate, Justin Morneau, is down to fewer than 270,000. At second base, Texas' Ian Kinsler made up more than 50,000 votes on Dustin Pedroia to creep within 166,000. And among the outfield leaders, No. 1 Manny Ramirez continues to lead the Rangers' Josh Hamilton, but his cushion is down to less than 126,000 votes
The Red Sox haven't exactly lost their grip. But as indicated by the latest weekly voting update, announced Monday afternoon, they have lost two significant edges, and their hold on a couple of other positions is looser. At catcher, Minnesota's Joe Mauer culminated a furious charge of several weeks by finally overtaking Boston's Jason Varitek. A 323,000-vote week catapulted Mauer into a 44,775 lead over the Red Sox veteran.
Meanwhile, Derek Jeter zipped past David Ortiz to grab the lead in overall votes. The Yankees captain attracted more than 424,000 votes last week to jump his total to 1,988,251, giving him a slim lead of fewer than 6,000 over the Boston designated hitter. Ortiz extended his lead at DH to more than 750,000 votes over the Yankees' Hideki Matsui, and while three of Big Papi's teammates also maintained their position leads, they are shrinking.
At first base, Kevin Youkilis' edge over Mauer's teammate, Justin Morneau, is down to fewer than 270,000. At second base, Texas' Ian Kinsler made up more than 50,000 votes on Dustin Pedroia to creep within 166,000. And among the outfield leaders, No. 1 Manny Ramirez continues to lead the Rangers' Josh Hamilton, but his cushion is down to less than 126,000 votes
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Jon Lester's last 11 starts
Jon Has Gone 5-1 with a 2.13 ERA in His Last 11 Outings
.................score.IP H R E W K
Jun 22..St.Lo....W 5-3 7.1 9 2 2 1 3
Jun 17..at PHIL..W 3-0 7.0 6 0 0 1 5
Jun 12..BAL......W 9-2 7.0 7 2 2 1 3
Jun 5...TB.......W 7-1 6.1 8 1 1 0 5
May 31..at BAL...W 6-3 5.0 7 2 2 3 4
May 25..at Oak...L 6-3 5.0 7 4 3 2 3
May 19..KC.......W 7-0 9.0 0 0 0 2 9
May 14..at Bal...L 6-3 6.0 5 2 2 2 4
May 9...at MIN...L 7-6 5.1 8 5 3 1 2
May 4...TB.......W 7-3 6.0 4 1 1 3 5
Apr 29..TOR......W 1-0 8.0 1 0 0 4 6
.................score.IP H R E W K
Jun 22..St.Lo....W 5-3 7.1 9 2 2 1 3
Jun 17..at PHIL..W 3-0 7.0 6 0 0 1 5
Jun 12..BAL......W 9-2 7.0 7 2 2 1 3
Jun 5...TB.......W 7-1 6.1 8 1 1 0 5
May 31..at BAL...W 6-3 5.0 7 2 2 3 4
May 25..at Oak...L 6-3 5.0 7 4 3 2 3
May 19..KC.......W 7-0 9.0 0 0 0 2 9
May 14..at Bal...L 6-3 6.0 5 2 2 2 4
May 9...at MIN...L 7-6 5.1 8 5 3 1 2
May 4...TB.......W 7-3 6.0 4 1 1 3 5
Apr 29..TOR......W 1-0 8.0 1 0 0 4 6
Youkilis Hits Walk-off in 13th; Sox Win 5-3
June 22, 2008. BOSTON, MA Kevin Youkilis socked his second home run of the game in the bottom half of the 13th inning, giving the Red Sox a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. After leading off the 10th, 11th and 12th innings with doubles and failing to score, Kevin You-Killed-Us hit a two-run home run off of Mike Parisi in the bottom of the 13th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday.
The Red Sox avoided being swept in a series at home for the first time since losing two contests to the Blue Jays last April. The Cardinals had a chance to take the lead in the top of the 13th off Javier Lopez(2-0), but Chris Duncan was thrown out at home plate by Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew trying to score on Adam Kennedy's base hit. "He hit the ball hard enough to be able field it on a nice run," Drew said. "I was surprised to see him going and it wound up that it was a nice hop to Tek and he had time to duck under."
After the Red Sox scored twice in the eighth to take a 3-2 lead, the Cardinals tied the game in the ninth off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who blew his fourth save opportunity of the season. After striking out the first two Cardinals he faced, Duncan drew a walk and Adam Kennedy doubled to center to tie the game at 3. Joel Pineiro, who hasn't won since April 29, gave up two runs and seven hits over seven-plus innings. In his last three starts, Pineiro has allowed only five earned runs over 19 innings. Lester was nearly as good as Pineiro, allowing nine hits over 7 1/3 innings. It was his 11th straight start in which he has held his opponent to three earned runs or fewer.
The Red Sox avoided being swept in a series at home for the first time since losing two contests to the Blue Jays last April. The Cardinals had a chance to take the lead in the top of the 13th off Javier Lopez(2-0), but Chris Duncan was thrown out at home plate by Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew trying to score on Adam Kennedy's base hit. "He hit the ball hard enough to be able field it on a nice run," Drew said. "I was surprised to see him going and it wound up that it was a nice hop to Tek and he had time to duck under."
After the Red Sox scored twice in the eighth to take a 3-2 lead, the Cardinals tied the game in the ninth off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who blew his fourth save opportunity of the season. After striking out the first two Cardinals he faced, Duncan drew a walk and Adam Kennedy doubled to center to tie the game at 3. Joel Pineiro, who hasn't won since April 29, gave up two runs and seven hits over seven-plus innings. In his last three starts, Pineiro has allowed only five earned runs over 19 innings. Lester was nearly as good as Pineiro, allowing nine hits over 7 1/3 innings. It was his 11th straight start in which he has held his opponent to three earned runs or fewer.
Who hit the longest HR in Fenway Park history?
n Fenway Park, there is a single red seat in the right field bleachers: Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21, that measures 502 feet from home plate. It marks the spot where Ted Williams hit a home run off of Fred Hutchinson of the Detroit Tigers on June 9, 1946, the longest home run in Fenway Park history.see:
http://www.boston.com/sports/redsox/williams/stories/in_right_field_its_a_true_seat_of_power.shtml
http://www.boston.com/sports/redsox/williams/stories/in_right_field_its_a_true_seat_of_power.shtml
This Day in Red Sox History
June 22, 1907
The Red Sox trade Bill Dinneen to the St. Louis Browns for Beany Jacobson and $1000.
June 21, 1916
The first no-hitter ever thrown at Fenway Park was by "little George Foster, the farmer boy from Oklahoma" (as the New York Times described him). The 5'7½" Foster beat Bob Shawkey and the Yankees, 2-0. Foster walked three. The win earned Foster a $100 bonus from Red Sox President Lannin.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Red Sox Logos through the years
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
AL Player of the Week - June 9-15
Sabathia named AL Player of the Week
Indians left-hander rewarded for two strong starts
Indians left-hander rewarded for two strong starts
C.C. Sabathia's Cy Young form has evaded him for much of this season. Not last week, though. The Indians' ace had it hook, line and sinker. His two starts last week had Indians fans reminiscing of his 19-win, American League Cy Young Award-winning performances of last season. For his efforts, he earned a pair of wins and on Monday, the big left-hander was named AL Player of the Week. But in his two starts last week, he looked like his old dominant self. He tossed a complete-game shutout against the Twins on Tuesday, and followed it up by outdueling four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux on Sunday. In those starts, he permitted just three runs, 11 hits and one walk while striking out 15.
Hopefully, J.D. Drew's week did not go unnoticed. Three Red Sox players have received the 'award' this season: John Lester (May 19-25), Kevin Youkilis (May 5-11) and Manny Ramirez (Apr 14-20).
Monday, June 16, 2008
Red Sox 20 Top Prospects?
Red Sox Top 20 Prospects as rated by Josh Poore of Hardball Scouts
The Boston system is a strong one. Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury are household names to anyone who follows prospects and both should be impact players for years to come. However, those two players are just a taste of the talent that the Red Sox have waiting in the wings.
Clay Buchholz, RHP Righty phenom with fine change and curve looks to be in the Boston rotation for years to come.
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF Speedster showed he is ready for the big stage and should be able to provide a steady presence at the top of the lineup this year.
Lars Anderson, 1B Power prospect should mash in Lancaster this season. A candidate to be at the top of this list a year from now.
Jed Lowrie, SS In a great bounce-back year, he continued to show great plate discipline while adding power.
Justin Masterson, RHP Big bodied groundball specialist moved from the 'pen to the rotation and showed no ill effects.
Michael Bowden, RHP Breezed through the Cal League, which is no small feat. Fly ball pitcher with great control.
Nick Hagadone, LHP Lefty had a great pro debut, with a 0.00 ERA over his last nine appearances at short-season Lowell.
Ryan Kalish, OF A broken hamate cut his season short, but at 19 years old in the NY-Penn League he put up a .368/.471/.540 line against older competition to go along with 18 steals in just 23 games.
Oscar Tejeda, SS Toolsy shortstop held his own at just 17 years of age, showing the ability to hit for average and steal bases. Huge upside.
Josh Reddick, OF Flashed power in his pro debut in the SAL while playing all three outfield spots. Will Middlebrooks, SS/ 3B Signed over slot and too late to see action. Has a good arm and was considered a much better talent than his 5th round draft status may indicate.
Brandon Moss, OF Profiles as a solid backup OF at the MLB level. Strikes out a lot, but has some pop. Could see time in Boston this year.
Devern Hansack, RHP Ranked this high because he is Major League ready. Highly doubtful he will ever be better than he is right now, but he has posted strong numbers in the high minors and could see time in Boston this year if injuries strike the BoSox staff.
Zach Daeges, OFDemolished the Cal League with a .330/.423/.579 line. Granted, it was in Lancaster, a hitting paradise, but he is still a player to watch.
Craig Hansen, RHP Needs to find a more consistent slider and build mental toughness. Still too young to give up on.
Dustin Richardson, LHP Overlooked prospect strikes out a hitter per inning while giving up very few gopher balls.
Aaron Bates, 1B A good mix of power and patience. Playing at Portland this year will tell us if he is for real.
Ryan Dent, SS Showed speed in his pro debut but needs to sharpen up his strike zone. Another exciting young middle infielder in this system.
Jason Place, OF Toolsy outfielder who needs to make more consistent contact. Looking like an overdraft at this point.
George Kottaras, C Once promising catching prospect has slipped badly. Bat has gotten worse as he has aged and now profiles as a backup at best.
The Boston system is a strong one. Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury are household names to anyone who follows prospects and both should be impact players for years to come. However, those two players are just a taste of the talent that the Red Sox have waiting in the wings.
Clay Buchholz, RHP Righty phenom with fine change and curve looks to be in the Boston rotation for years to come.
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF Speedster showed he is ready for the big stage and should be able to provide a steady presence at the top of the lineup this year.
Lars Anderson, 1B Power prospect should mash in Lancaster this season. A candidate to be at the top of this list a year from now.
Jed Lowrie, SS In a great bounce-back year, he continued to show great plate discipline while adding power.
Justin Masterson, RHP Big bodied groundball specialist moved from the 'pen to the rotation and showed no ill effects.
Michael Bowden, RHP Breezed through the Cal League, which is no small feat. Fly ball pitcher with great control.
Nick Hagadone, LHP Lefty had a great pro debut, with a 0.00 ERA over his last nine appearances at short-season Lowell.
Ryan Kalish, OF A broken hamate cut his season short, but at 19 years old in the NY-Penn League he put up a .368/.471/.540 line against older competition to go along with 18 steals in just 23 games.
Oscar Tejeda, SS Toolsy shortstop held his own at just 17 years of age, showing the ability to hit for average and steal bases. Huge upside.
Josh Reddick, OF Flashed power in his pro debut in the SAL while playing all three outfield spots. Will Middlebrooks, SS/ 3B Signed over slot and too late to see action. Has a good arm and was considered a much better talent than his 5th round draft status may indicate.
Brandon Moss, OF Profiles as a solid backup OF at the MLB level. Strikes out a lot, but has some pop. Could see time in Boston this year.
Devern Hansack, RHP Ranked this high because he is Major League ready. Highly doubtful he will ever be better than he is right now, but he has posted strong numbers in the high minors and could see time in Boston this year if injuries strike the BoSox staff.
Zach Daeges, OFDemolished the Cal League with a .330/.423/.579 line. Granted, it was in Lancaster, a hitting paradise, but he is still a player to watch.
Craig Hansen, RHP Needs to find a more consistent slider and build mental toughness. Still too young to give up on.
Dustin Richardson, LHP Overlooked prospect strikes out a hitter per inning while giving up very few gopher balls.
Aaron Bates, 1B A good mix of power and patience. Playing at Portland this year will tell us if he is for real.
Ryan Dent, SS Showed speed in his pro debut but needs to sharpen up his strike zone. Another exciting young middle infielder in this system.
Jason Place, OF Toolsy outfielder who needs to make more consistent contact. Looking like an overdraft at this point.
George Kottaras, C Once promising catching prospect has slipped badly. Bat has gotten worse as he has aged and now profiles as a backup at best.
This Day in Red Sox History - June 16
In Red Sox history the following events occured on this date:
1982 Pitching one scoreless inning to protect a 1-0 lead, Red Sox reliever Jeff Reardon breaks Rollie Fingers' career save mark of 341.
1965 Denny McLain enters the game in relief in the first inning and strikes out the first seven batters he faces to set a major league record. The Tigers go on to beat the Red Sox, 6-5
May 26, 1976 Ken Brett (White Sox) no-hit bid end with two outs in the ninth, when third baseman Jorge Orta hopes Angels’ Jerry Remy slow roller will go foul. It doesn't and the no-hitter is lost, but George’s brotherwins game in 11th, 1-0.
1982 Pitching one scoreless inning to protect a 1-0 lead, Red Sox reliever Jeff Reardon breaks Rollie Fingers' career save mark of 341.
1965 Denny McLain enters the game in relief in the first inning and strikes out the first seven batters he faces to set a major league record. The Tigers go on to beat the Red Sox, 6-5
May 26, 1976 Ken Brett (White Sox) no-hit bid end with two outs in the ninth, when third baseman Jorge Orta hopes Angels’ Jerry Remy slow roller will go foul. It doesn't and the no-hitter is lost, but George’s brotherwins game in 11th, 1-0.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Roger Clemens and other athletes pop Viagra
Sometimes, enough is enough... They just won't stop picking on Roger.
Roger Clemens, whose claims he never took steroids are under federal investigation, has apparently discovered the benefits of another performance-enhancing drug sweeping the sports world - Viagra.
Clemens stashed the clearly marked, diamond-shaped pills in a GNC vitamin bottle in his locker at Yankee Stadium according to a source familiar with the clubhouse, perhaps keeping the drug undercover to avoid the inevitable wisecracks about all the girlfriends he needed to please.
Clemens wasn't alone. The pitcher, who is believed to have scored the drug from a teammate, joined the burgeoning number of athletes who have turned Vitamin V and its over-the-counter substitutes into one of the hottest drugs in locker rooms. The drug is so widely used for off-label purposes that it has drawn the attention of anti-doping officials and law-enforcement agencies in the United States and beyond.
About the picture above: Of course, I made certain to use a Yankee picture of Roger. Did not want to use a Red Sox image from 85 when he had 'some' respectability. I found the meanest looking picture I could get.
Monday, June 9, 2008
My Early Days as a Red Sox Fan
I was born back in 1951 in Holyoke, MA which is about 94 miles from Fenway Park. I vaguely recall going to my first games back in 1957 and I know that for two of the games, I saw the Red Sox play Kansas City and Chicago. I checked retrosheet, which lists boxscores of ALL games and I really couldn't determine which ones I first saw. They played each team 22 times back then, but I know that I went during the summertime. Back then my favorite players were Ted, Sammy White, Jackie Jenson, Frank Malzone (considered one of the top 3-4 third-baseman back then), Jimmy Piersall.
It seemed like whenever we went, we pretty much sat out there in left field (nice view of the Green Monster) and there seemed to be something like a New Hamshire Day, Connecticut day, etc. They had their 'pre-game ceremonies' which seemed to take forever for a kid 7-8 years old.
The game I remember the most? I was able to find the box score on Retrosheet, so I sure of the date, etc. I was a member of the Cub Scouts back then and on Saturday, July 11 we all went to see the Red Sox play the much-hated New York Yankees. I wasn't fully aware of the intense rivalry between these two teams yet. But there was only 24,232 people there and the Red Sox just weren't drawing the crowds they do in this era.
Starting lineups were: Yankees
RF Bauer 3B Lopez CF Mantle 1b Skowron C Berra LF Howard SS McDougald 3B Richardson P Maas
For the Red Sox:
SS Buddin CF Keough 2B Avila 1B Wertz RF Jensen LF Williams 3B Malzone C White
P Casale
So anyhow, the game was tied up 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Sox loaded the bases and Don Buddin smacked a grand slam. The place was wild. I checked the stats from the game and Jackie Jenson went 3-5, Ted went 1-3 and Vic Wertz 2-3.
The Sox were behind 3-1 in the 8th, came up with 3 runs. Ted singled and Stephens came in to run for him and then play LF, which was typical back then because Williams was aging. Tony Kubek homered in the 9th to tie it up.
It seemed like whenever we went, we pretty much sat out there in left field (nice view of the Green Monster) and there seemed to be something like a New Hamshire Day, Connecticut day, etc. They had their 'pre-game ceremonies' which seemed to take forever for a kid 7-8 years old.
The game I remember the most? I was able to find the box score on Retrosheet, so I sure of the date, etc. I was a member of the Cub Scouts back then and on Saturday, July 11 we all went to see the Red Sox play the much-hated New York Yankees. I wasn't fully aware of the intense rivalry between these two teams yet. But there was only 24,232 people there and the Red Sox just weren't drawing the crowds they do in this era.
Starting lineups were: Yankees
RF Bauer 3B Lopez CF Mantle 1b Skowron C Berra LF Howard SS McDougald 3B Richardson P Maas
For the Red Sox:
SS Buddin CF Keough 2B Avila 1B Wertz RF Jensen LF Williams 3B Malzone C White
P Casale
So anyhow, the game was tied up 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Sox loaded the bases and Don Buddin smacked a grand slam. The place was wild. I checked the stats from the game and Jackie Jenson went 3-5, Ted went 1-3 and Vic Wertz 2-3.
The Sox were behind 3-1 in the 8th, came up with 3 runs. Ted singled and Stephens came in to run for him and then play LF, which was typical back then because Williams was aging. Tony Kubek homered in the 9th to tie it up.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Red Sox sink Mariners 11-3
Tim Wakefield's knuckleball danced all over the place as he went 7 innings allowing 5 hits and 2 runs with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks. It looked like a backyard game of catch, with Wakefield getting the ball and pitching quickly. One knuckler to Kenji Johnson in the second inning was clocked at 56 mph.
"I've always been the type that likes to keep the game going," Wakefield said. "I slow the game and make adjustments. Obviously, I didn't need to today, so I just wanted to get the ball and keep throwing." Boston rebounded from Friday's 8-0 loss to Seattle for its seventh victory in nine games; and 16th of 18 at Fenway Park.
Ramirez tied Eddie Murray for 23rd on the career list with a two-run drive over the Green Monster seats. J.D. Drew continued his hot-hitting as he homered, tripled and singled. One thing did go wrong for the Red Sox, Kevin Youkilis dropped a throw in the ninth, ending his major league-record 238-game errorless streak at first. He started the game at third, but moved over in the eighth.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Red Sox - (Manny+Ortiz+Ellsbury) = 0
The Red Sox were shut out 8-0 by the lower than lowly Seattle Mariners tonight. Bartolo Colon went 5 innings, allowed 8 hits and 6 runs. Sean Casey 'secured' a temporary spot in the lineup with 3 hits, raising his batting average to .378. Felix Hernandez shut down the Sox in 6 innings of work, allowing 5 hits.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Mark Fidrych - Characters of the Game
Mark Fidrych, who was nicknamed "The Bird", was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1976 when he went 19-9 and led the AL in ERA (2.34) and complete games (24). 
In 1976, a tall, flamboyant fireballer from Massachusetts named Mark Steven Fidrych made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers. With his unique antics, youthful look and overpowering performances, Fidrych's 1976 season was a gem. Fidrych was 19-9 with and led the league in ERA (2.34) and complete games (24). He started the All-Star Game and became a national celebrity, sporting the covers of periodicals from The Sporting News to Rolling Stone. But injuries plagued what had the potential to be an unbelievable career. Fidrych won only 10 more games with the Tigers from 1977-1980 and was out of organized baseball in 1982.
Fidrych had his city turned on. Everywhere you go, all any one wants to talk about is The Bird. He personally packed the park twice in six days, as 98,887 flocked to Tiger Stadium to see The Bird perform in those two games. In fact, the Tigers' flaky, frizzy-haired phenom had the fans in a frenzy. When was the last time you saw 50,000 people refuse to leave their seats or stop clapping until a gangling, 21-year-old came back out on the field for a curtain call?
Tiger Manager Ralph Houk, who has been around for a long time, readily admitted, "In all my years in baseball, I've never seen anything like it. I don't think even Walter Johnson started this fast." But then there never has been anybody quite like The Bird before. He talks to the ball, pointing it toward the plate like a dart, telling it where to go. . . He gets down on his knees before every inning and pats the dirt on the mound into place with his left hand. . . He sprints on and off the field and struts around the mound like a mad stork after every out, applauding his teammates and calling for the ball back.
Next Weeks' CHARACTER OF THE GAME: Fernando Valenzuela. 2 weeks from now our character shall be Charles O. Finley!!! Watch for Greatest Boston Sports Heroes....coming soon to this blog near you!!!!!
In 1976, a tall, flamboyant fireballer from Massachusetts named Mark Steven Fidrych made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers. With his unique antics, youthful look and overpowering performances, Fidrych's 1976 season was a gem. Fidrych was 19-9 with and led the league in ERA (2.34) and complete games (24). He started the All-Star Game and became a national celebrity, sporting the covers of periodicals from The Sporting News to Rolling Stone. But injuries plagued what had the potential to be an unbelievable career. Fidrych won only 10 more games with the Tigers from 1977-1980 and was out of organized baseball in 1982.
Fidrych had his city turned on. Everywhere you go, all any one wants to talk about is The Bird. He personally packed the park twice in six days, as 98,887 flocked to Tiger Stadium to see The Bird perform in those two games. In fact, the Tigers' flaky, frizzy-haired phenom had the fans in a frenzy. When was the last time you saw 50,000 people refuse to leave their seats or stop clapping until a gangling, 21-year-old came back out on the field for a curtain call?
Tiger Manager Ralph Houk, who has been around for a long time, readily admitted, "In all my years in baseball, I've never seen anything like it. I don't think even Walter Johnson started this fast." But then there never has been anybody quite like The Bird before. He talks to the ball, pointing it toward the plate like a dart, telling it where to go. . . He gets down on his knees before every inning and pats the dirt on the mound into place with his left hand. . . He sprints on and off the field and struts around the mound like a mad stork after every out, applauding his teammates and calling for the ball back.
Next Weeks' CHARACTER OF THE GAME: Fernando Valenzuela. 2 weeks from now our character shall be Charles O. Finley!!! Watch for Greatest Boston Sports Heroes....coming soon to this blog near you!!!!!
Ichiro vs Jacoby - side by side stats
Comparing Ichiro Suzuki and Jacoby Ellsbury. At this time of the year, Jacoby has the edge. Not quite Rickey Henderson numbers.
Players ......AB R H 2 3 HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
Suzuki...... 228 37 66 9 2 3 14 24 2 19 21 .289 .349 .386 .735
Elllsbury...168 40 47 5 2 4 19 23 2 25 18 .280 .379 .405 .784
Players ......AB R H 2 3 HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
Suzuki...... 228 37 66 9 2 3 14 24 2 19 21 .289 .349 .386 .735
Elllsbury...168 40 47 5 2 4 19 23 2 25 18 .280 .379 .405 .784
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